1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a control method for the information processing apparatus, and a storage medium and, more particularly, to an information processing apparatus which executes region segmentation of an image, a control method for the information processing apparatus, and a storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image is divided into regions, and the region segmentation result is applied to various image processing applications. For this purpose, a technique for appropriately dividing an image is demanded. As an appropriate region segmentation method of an input image, a method described in X. Ren, J. Malik, “Learning a classification model for segmentation”, Proc. IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision, pp. 10-17, 2003. has been proposed. X. Ren, J. Malik, “Learning a classification model for segmentation”, Proc. IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision, pp. 10-17, 2003. discloses a technique of attaining region segmentation of an image by expressing an image by a data structure called a graph and reducing that structure to an energy minimization problem.
Also, as another appropriate region segmentation method of an input image, a method described in L. Chen, “The lambda-connected segmentation and the optimal algorithm for split-and-merge segmentation”, Chinese J. Computers, 14 (1991), pp. 321-331 has been proposed. L. Chen, “The lambda-connected segmentation and the optimal algorithm for split-and-merge segmentation”, Chinese J. Computers, 14 (1991), pp. 321-331 discloses a technique for attaining region segmentation by combining segmentation and integration of an image. With this technique, an image is recursively divided into small partial regions until low-order feature amounts in a predetermined region have uniform properties during a division process, and these partial regions are integrated to be grown to polygons in an integration process, thus attaining region segmentation of an image.
However, in case of the region segmentation method based on the graph theory like in X. Ren, J. Malik, “Learning a classification model for segmentation”, Proc. IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision, pp. 10-17, 2003, a problem of an increase in computation volume is posed. Also, in case of the region segmentation method based on the split & merge method like in L. Chen, “The lambda-connected segmentation and the optimal algorithm for split-and-merge segmentation”, Chinese J. Computers, 14 (1991), pp. 321-331, a method of stably judging whether or not low-order feature amounts in a predetermined region have uniform properties during the division process has not been established yet, and precise region segmentation cannot be attained. Also, as in X. Ren, J. Malik, “Learning a classification model for segmentation”, Proc. IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision, pp. 10-17, 2003, a problem of an increase in computation volume is posed.